Warm sunlight shone on the American's eyes, causing him to wake. He grumbled, rubbing the sleep from his eyes. He blinked a few times. He wasn't in his bed. He sat up quickly and glanced around the den. The fire had died out and a blanket had been draped over him. Alfred was confused.

"Good morning." A voice, thick with Russian accent sounded in his ear. Alfred jumped a little.

"What happened last night, dude?" Alfred asked, a hand to his forehead. Ivan smiled at him.

"You fell asleep in my lap like a baby." Ivan spoke softly.

"What? Stop lying. That's not cool, bro!" Alfred snapped back. A light, frustrated blush spread across his cheeks.

"I'm not." Ivan smirked then proceeded to walk into the kitchen. Alfred watched as the other man made coffee. Did I really do that? The American thought. He blushed harder and fell back onto the couch, pulling the blanket over his face. His bomber jacket crinkled slightly at the sudden movement.

Ivan looked over his shoulder when he heard the sudden crinkle of worn leather, but blew it off as nothing when he saw the other man laying peacefully on the sofa. He looked out the small kitchen window where a pale light was leaking through the drawn back, white curtains. A layer of snow had made its home on the outside world.

"There's snow outside, play in it with me, da?" The larger man smiled and turned fully to the young America on the couch. The blonde sat up and looked at Ivan in confusion. The cloudy expression soon turned into a bright grin.

"Sure, man! Just don't leave me out there again."

"Do not blame me for your incompetent finding skills." Ivan retorted. He took his gloves from his pocket and put them on, flexing his fingers for a better fit. The door was still ajar and broken from the day before and a draft was coming in from the wind chilled by the snow.

Alfred was right on his heels, pulling on is boots and gloves in a clumsy manner. He lost his balanced on foot and held a glove in one hand and the other in his mouth. Ivan had already made his way out the door by the time the American had even made contact with the door knob.

The cold hit Alfred in a rush of bitter stings. Why was everything so cold at this cabin? He sighed and zipped up jacket as a final shield against the unrelenting, frozen wind. He looked around the white bliss for the other man, only realizing his location when a cold sting his face. He wiped the melting snow from his face and glared at the laughing Russian.

Smirking, Alfred picked up a rather large pile of snow and rubbed his hands around it, compacting it into a ball. He threw it directly at his opponent. He heard it make contact with a loud thud. Alfred looked at his target to find a scary grin on Ivan's face. A purple aura seemed to glow around the man threateningly.

Alfred turned to run for cover, but he was too late. Snowballs pelted him before he had taken a single step. He stooped down and started piling up his own ammunition. Standing up with his arms full of the frozen ammo, he threw one at Ivan.

"Take that!" He yelled as he too, pelted the other with snowballs.

"Never!" Ivan smiled as he threw the last of his snowball reserves at the American.

There they both stood, in a clearing that had once been covered in pure, undisturbed snow. They gasped for the thin, mountain air and laughed. The lighter and deeper laughed mingled with each other for a lovely sound of happiness.

"You tired, da?" Ivan teased as she stood up straight.

"Are you? Sure you're not up for round two, man?"

Ivan nodded, "Yeah, I'm going to go get the fire started inside." Ivan left for the door in a quiet manor. The snow crunched under his feet.

Alfred looked after him like a lost puppy. To him, the game had only just begun, but things change. The young man shivered as he stuck his hands in his armpits to hopefully bring his frozen fingers back to life. He ran inside after the Russian.

"Dude! It's cold as balls* out there!" the American announced as he entered the house. The door still didn't shut correctly, so it was left to hang open slightly ajar. Ivan was lounging on the couch, a bottle of vodka on the coffee table. It was open and drunk from. Alfred took a seat on the opposite end of the couch.

"Did I really fall asleep in your lap, bro?"

Ivan nodded, "Da."

A blush went over Alfred's face. After having asked the same question twice, there wasn't any way that the other man was laying.

"Your face is all red. It's cute." Ivan noted aloud, only causing the American to give him a firm glare. Alfred's cheeks got redder, still.

"No it's not."

"Da. You should see yourself right now." Ivan smiled and took a swig of vodka.

"You only think that because you're drinking."

"No. Even if I wasn't enjoying vodka, your red face would still be cute. "

Alfred huffed and took the bottle. I might as well forget everything by getting wasted. He thought. He put the bottle to his and let the warm fluid run down his throat. Let the night begin.

Starred Notes

"Cold as balls": Really cold. It's just something Americans say when it's cold and I myself don't really understand...

A/N::

Well, this chapter is kind of small and didn't take long to write at all, sorry guys. I was kind of freaking out today because of all the tornado warnings. I was on my bus when things started getting bad. I wish he would have pulled the bus aside so everyone could have partied in my friend's basement. Oh well. It was kind of exciting, though. I hope everyone is fine and protected from any kind of bad weather! I love you guys! Thanks everyone who reviewed! Those really help with getting these chapters out faster. Motivation, yeah! It's the best thing for us procrastinators. see you nest chapter!